Kingston is located in southeastern Ontario at the intersection of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. It was first settled by Europeans in the 1670s as a trading post called Cataraqui. In the 1780s, Kingston became a major naval base and shipbuilding centre for the British Royal Navy on Lake Ontario.
Kingston was incorporated as a city in 1846 and designated as Ontario’s first capital from 1841 to 1844. Its strategic position on the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence waterway system made it an important military, naval, and commercial hub throughout the 19th century. Industries that developed included shipbuilding, sawmills, and flour milling powered by the Cataraqui River.
By the 1850s, Kingston’s population had grown to over 10,000 residents as it served as an eastern gateway to Canada. The opening of the Grand Trunk Railway in 1856 brought more prosperity by facilitating trade and travel. Kingston remained a centre for education with Queen’s University founded in 1841. It also became known for its limestone architecture after extensive quarrying began in the 1830s.
